Page 7 - Merchants and Mandarins China Trade Era

On July 3, 1844 American Commissioner Caleb Cushing,

accompanied by interpreters and naval officers, formally

represented the United States in signing a treaty of amity

and commerce with Imperial Commissioner Ch'i-ying. This

treaty, known as the Treaty of Wang-hsia (Wanghia), initiated

diplomatic relations between the United States and China. The

American objective was clear--to grant American residents in

China, a majority of whom were merchants, the protection of

international law. Although American contact with China ex­

tended back to the earliest days of the Republic, the United

States government had demonstrated little concern for relations

with the Celestial Empire. Events in China during the Opium

War (1839-42) stimulated official American interest. Prior to

the War, Chinese attitudes toward trade and foreigners had

assured American access to the China market and equal rights

with other Western merchants in that trade. England, by

crushing the Chinese militarily in the Opium War, had forced
the Chinese government to deal with the West on Western terms.

The latter meant formal recognition by the Imperial Court of

international law and diplomatic relations with other states

on the basis of equality. China had yielded to English demands

in the Treaty of Nanking (1842). Subsequently, the American

government, realizing the crucial importance of England's

victory, decided to open negotiations with the Chinese. The

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